Category: Site Review

The two sites I choose were http://www.cerealboxinc.com/ and www.playabowls.com. Cereal Inc. has a fun top of the page and it scrolls down to reveal different part of the what they are. The entire website is fun colors and displays new activities that will be coming up. The layout is focused on one thing at a time with different pictures and videos of different people that have been in their store. They show that their store is for all ages and just to get creative with your cereal selection. The cite flows very well as you continue to explore more of what this store has to offer. Playabowl has a very typical feel and has a quick slideshow what their bowls. They are heavy on eating healthy and showing that things can be healthy can taste plus look delicious. They also give you ton so options and you can customize your own bowl as well. Their cite is very organized and it gives the customer the opportunity to explore the cite the way they want. Both cities keep everything organized and easy to find but Playabowl makes it easier to see what options they have for their menus plus you can order and online to skip the line. I think Playabowl is more attention grabbing because it displays what they make a lot better and it has more variety of options.       

https://owltastic.com/#contact-form

Meagan Fisher is a web designer for her own business, owltastic. On her page, she goes through her bio, recent work, what she is doing now, social media connections, and how to get in touch with her. Her page is organized from scrolling top to bottom. She has a strict color palette which goes with the theme she sets up among the page. Her colors are white, navy blue, tan and a variety of tones and shades of these colors. Her theme consist of stars and time. She accentuates the theme by incorporating simple animation to add an aesthetic look. The information is presented in rectangle boxes with white margin space in-between which helps cluster the topics while giving it a clean look.

As you scroll through her page, all of her buttons are represented as ovals, the words itself, an arrow or words underlined. When you hover over the button, the color changes which indicates it is something to click on. Some buttons direct you to other websites such as her social media pages, the workshops she participated in and her recent work. Some of her other buttons which say, “Let’s Work Together” “Sound good? Let’s chat” “Contact” and “Let’s Talk” all lead to a section on her page of where you can send her a message. 

Fisher’s color palette uses the idea of night and day by the navy blue and tan. Instead of using black and white, these colors represent a pastel theme. This is effective when looking at the values. There is a combination of a navy blue background with tan text and vice versa. This setup balances out the page while making it more interesting to look at. The animated circles lead you through the page and set the pace of the mood Fisher wants to get across. The circles turn at a slower pace which indicates how she wants her audience to take their time scrolling through her page. She uses a combination of geometric and organic shapes. I believe she adds geometric shapes to add structure and organic shapes to give off comfortability. 

Overall, Fisher’s page is a great design. The fact Fisher does web design for a living highly influences how her page is laid out compared to others. She knows how a strong color palette with simple text will keep her viewers interested. Her use of simple animation and shapes helps people navigate her site easily. Lastly, she is consistent in her theme which makes it a fun storytelling process for the viewers.

The single page website I chose to review is Image Resizer by Promo. I first chose this site because the color immediately struck me and caught my interest. Getting from one page to the next by mostly clicking on links. When you place your mouse over something it will show up as being able to click on it. On my screen I only have to scroll top to bottom to navigate through the page. The website uses nice color, font sizes, and font types to make the page attractive and easy to understand/get through. Personally I believe the websites design is great and works well. I did not struggle to understand the page at all. I was about to easily navigate through it and find what I needed. The page is nice and flashy, but not too flashy that I got a headache or it was annoying.

The featured website I went through was called Missing. It described the journey of a 7 year old who got abducted then was found days later with three stab wounds. The color very dark but it gave the story a vintage look with uses paper with pictures of the frame to fill the background of the story. They used realistic images of the woods and of the girl, in which made the story more interactive. As you go through the story you can scroll backwards to explain the story more in details then scroll in any of direction to see more details of what was happening. Everytime a point of view is changed you get a white dot you have to press to guide you more into the story. The story used the little girl’s voice, text, and the finder’s voice to tell the story. You could hear other people’s voices as they were searching plus they helped narrate.     

The site I chose was the World Series of Sales website, highlighting their 2019 event. The site navigation is very easy to follow with a simple scroll top to bottom page. The sites colors are very unique. The whole site has a dark background with flashes of purple and blue appearing such as lens flares, making the background live and moving. When scrolling down the site, it highlights key information about the event, including the qualification details, location of the event, speakers, and also the charitable donations that can be made. Each section stands out on the page because they are all in a bright, white font, which stands out against the dark background, making it easier to read. What also makes the site easy to navigate, is that each section of reading leads to the next. Whether it be leading lines from one section to another, or the simplest of things by just placing the text on the page alternating on different sides of the screen. Also, each section of the site, fits the space for one screen, making it even easier to focus on one part of the site, before moving on to another. Overall the site is very well designed. With a simple design, the text and images are spread evenly throughout the site, making it easy to navigate and read. 

Madisyn Kovach

ARTM2210

Review #2

February 26, 2019

Review 2:

I looked at several of website but the one that really stood out to me was https://owltastic.com. The site used a beautiful dark blue and yellow that just really catches your eye.  I also saw that they used the color white. You do not see that often. I also really enjoyed looking at the texture. The texture included yellow stars with a low opacity. I liked that the opacity was low because it made you look longer to see what the background included.  I also chose this site because it was easy navigation. Scrolling up and down is simple but I feel like it is the best decision because that’s what people expect. On of the other websites I looked at scrolled left to right and it took me more than three minutes to figure it out.  You want the viewers to be able to use your website and not get confused. I also love the text used. Even though it is a fancier kind of font it is still easy to read. There are several elements that make the site easy to scan, read, and understand content. The headings are bolded which makes it very easy to read.  I feel like this site’s design is very well. Color is really important when I am designing. So, in my opinion this website has a really good color combination, as well as amazing images with movement on the page. This is why I decided to choose https://owltastic.com as my favorite website.

I chose to review the webpage for Bavette La Boucherie. As soon as I opened the page, a motion graphic appeared and showed the logo of the restaurant. Then photos of their food appeared. As the photos changed, there was a transition slide with the logo. This gave it a very interactive feel. As I scrolled top to bottom, I found their hours and information. They also included a summer events chart. The colors did change throughout the page but all stayed very similar. I assumed the restaurant was very modern and organic based off of the browns, greens, and mustard background colors of the page. I kept scrolling until I came across information about the farms they choose. On the sides of the page there were graphics of cows, pigs, and lambs that moved as you scrolled. This made the information seem less formal and boring. The graphics also stuck to the green color used earlier. I felt the overall design of the page was effective. Scrolling top to bottom made it feel organized which is what I would expect from a restaurant. If I had to click on something to be directed to other pages it would have felt very informal. But, towards the bottom of the page there was a section called “Press”. To see different articles about the restaurant, you had to scroll left to right. There were arrows that moved the different options across the screen. This felt appropriate because it allowed that information to stay within a certain region of the page without adding a lot of unneeded space. Overall, the information on the webpage was very clean and organized.

Review 2: One Page Love

Prague Wanderings

This site was a long scrolling page showing illustrations of what Ariana Montanez did while she was working in Prague. As you scroll down the page, she has a different color background for little blurbs explaining who she is, what her favorite thing to do in Prague was, and a link to read more about her trip. She used a color scheme of what looks like pastel colors for the blurbs and the illustrations. The color scheme helped make this page feel like it all ties together. Navigation is very easy; the user just has to scroll down. The composition of this site made it easy to scan, read and understand, everything was centered, and I basically only read/looked at one thing at a time. I also think that the contrast of the site was a good choice, it had white space and didn’t clash with the color palette she used.  Again, the color scheme that was used really tied everything together.

A good website is user friendly and visually pleasing. This site created by Ariana Montanez fits just that because of the easy navigation, composition, illustrations and the color scheme. Since the site describes Ariana’s trip to Prague, I find it interesting how she decided to illustrate her experiences using only a few colors and making it work. The content drew me in and was the focal point of the site. Also, the site isn’t confusing at all since the only thing you have to do is scroll down. In conclusion, I really think this site was well done due to the easiness, the composition and the illustrations.

For the single page website, I chose “Frustration”.  Firstly, because it is an eye-catching title, and it is exactly the opposite of what everyone tries to avoid when making a website.  But, it also caught my attention with the elements it employs.  At first glance, the site could very much be seen as bare, simple, and plain, yet I feel like that is what makes it beautiful, and easy to work with.  No one wants to fiddle with a gaudy website that has an extreme number of buttons, colors, and nothing that flows together.  Frustration is not that at all.  When entering the page, you are greeted with a blank slate of white, some greys, and a few pops of black.  A very minimal color palette, but I think it works fantastically.  It uses easy-to-read type, and it is directly in the middle of the screen.  To navigate, the user must scroll down, and you’ll be shown sleek, basic images of hands holding an empty white box, stating that empty is the new full.  The texture seems glossy and polished. Nothing is very loud, or tries to capture your attention with anything crazy.  It appears smooth and airy.  The site is easy to scan because of the simplicity it has overall, from the colors, to font, to the photos.  I do believe the website is designed very well, and caters to people who prefer concise layouts.  It is a modern page, and that is what most people would probably be looking for when creating a site, especially in this age.  Overall, the website “Frustration” is well-organized, minimalistic landing page and could work with practically anything the designer wanted. It gets the job done in a very clean and effective manner.

https://2018.craftedbygc.com/

For my OnePageLove review, I decided to look at the Green Chameleon 2018 Year in Review website.  Green Chameleon is a design agency based in Bristol, England and they decided to create a one page site looking back on their best designs of that year.  This site requires the user to use the scroll wheel to navigate it creating three dimensional zooming effect. Separated by months, each one has several designs from that time allowing you to click and look closer.  Each month has its own two color palette allowing the user to understand exactly what month they are on. The colors are very saturated throughout the site and often use complementary colors. The design element I would most associate with this site is contrast because of its use of extremely saturated colors and hard edge vector like graphics.  I would the site is well done. It has a clear purpose of showcasing the best designs from the agency throughout the year and makes navigation in a clear and fluid manner.

sbs.com.au (Missing: An Interactive Documentary)

I chose a one page interactive site called Missing: An SBS Interactive Documentary. It goes through the disappearance and murder of a little girl. I have never seen something labeled as a documentary on this kind of platform before, so that is why I chose it. The colors of the site vary seeing as most of the time it is a colored photograph(s). During transitions though the colors are dark and Moody. You see a lot of Black, Dark Brown, and Maroon. A lot of the elements are dissolved and layered overtop of one another giving the viewer some anxiety. The use of 3-D imagery also adds to this. It is a single page site but it tells you when to click for it to transition between different pieces of content. You can also move your cursor to explore/see more of the scene. There is no scrolling involved that I can see/use. If there is a fact or something important you should know about the story, it is placed in the center of the screen on a dark background in bright letters. The use of multiple, complementary typefaces also makes it easier to read. Personally, I like the idea of the site and the overall feel. I do think though that it is a bit hard to navigate and walkthrough. I almost feel like I need more direction in using it. This difficulty though does add to the story in a way.

The website “Captain Marvel”, is the website I decided to take a look at for this review. It peaked my interest, because I myself am a Marvel Comics fan. When you click onto the page, it has a space theme, a picture of a few people including, Captain Marvel, Nick Fury, Kree, and Skrull, and as you scroll down, various other colorful and intense backgrounds, fonts, and graphics.

When navigating the website, you simply scroll up and down. There are tabs on the top of the screen that you can click on to take you to other various parts of the website. There are also boxes throughout the webpage that can take you to other things, like videos, games, a guestbook, and a place to buy tickets to see the new upcoming movie.

Design elements that make the website easy to scan, are the changing backgrounds. When you scroll down the website, the background will change, along with the kind of content that goes in with the background. There are also titles on each new background that tells you what that section of the website contains, and the titles all have their own unique font as well. This makes it easier to know what section of the website you’re on and you can quickly locate whatever information you’re looking for.

I like the creativity that went into the website, and how different every section is. But, I don’t think it was set up properly. There’s a lot of work that could go into making it a much better and stronger website. I like the vibe of it seeming like something that is coming straight out of the ‘80s, but it could’ve been done a lot better. The titles on each page are all crazy Word Art fonts that just seem to be too much. It doesn’t seem to be a professional website promoting the new Captain Marvel movie, so it’s more acceptable. But, there are a lot of things that could be done to make it more cohesive. There’s just a lot going on on the website, and it could become overwhelming after awhile.

For this review, I looked at “Oscar 2018 Year in Review”. https://www.hioscar.com/2018yearinreview

To navigate the website I had to interact with objects on screen and was taken through Oscar’s improvements throughout 2018. The page was well designed and kept me interested all the way through. The use of transparent video made the site interesting and the short, simple bits of information made it easily digestible and memorable.